The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1887-11-02
SUCCESS IN LIFE.

Seeking Success for It's Own Sake an OBJ
ject Unworthy of Christians.
Nothing succeeds like success is a
popular verso in the modern book of
proverbs. 1t is regarded by many as
containing truth almost automatic.
The young man is told to do something
that will convince tho world that he
has in him the elements of SUCCESS, and
he will gain confidence in himself and
inspire confidence in others. Only
make brilliant beginning. and the
rest will be easy. Win grtat victory,
and you will be hailed as conquerer.
and can march on in triumph.
In this there is some truth-iust
enough to sugar-coat dangerous
error. Success is often the highway to
disaster and ruin. The first Napoleon
was one Of the most successful men
Of his or any other age. AS Coun-
sclor Phillips SAID: with no friend
but his sword and no fortune but his
talents, he entered the lists where rank
and wealth and genius had arraved
themselves, and competition fled from
him as from the glance of destiny"
But how vain. how proud. how self
confident his early success made him!
Memoirs of his private life, recently
published. show that he was one of the
meaRest and most miserable of men.
And when he fell, rs such climbers
must sooner or later, how great his
fall! He will take his place in history
~ tho most conspicuous failure of
modern times. When we think of
what Napoleon might have been and
might have done if he had not been
intoxicated by success. we mourn over
the weakness of our human nature.
The brain reels when we 60 up into
the clouds even little way.
Ferdinand Ward might have been n
respectable and fairly prosperous bus
mess man if he had not made such a
brilliant beginning ir Wall street. For
a time he seemed to succeed by sue
cess. He won his way by sheer au-
dacity. What he did inspired a conf
dence which enabled him to do other
things which. without such confidence,
would have been impossible. But
brilliancy like his is always mctcoric.
Temporary success is followed by q
sad and hopeless reaction. Even If
that young man could be released from
prison, he could accomplish nothing
now He went up like rocket and
came down like the stick. fi.
Gabriel Grimes was the most elo-
quent Of our young preachers forty
years ago. Before he left tho semi
nary he captivatcd one of the best con-
gregations in an Eastern city.
His success there soon Sc
cured him a call to a metro.
politan church. But his rise was SO
rapid that he became dizzy. He was
like the man who went up in ball Don
but could not control it. That brilliant
young preacher has been sad wreck,
both Intellectually and morally. for the
lifetime of generation. When meet
him with his hsggard face think
there are few things moro perilous
| in this world than success
There is sense in which success sue.
ceeds. All progress is by successive
steps. and the more we are able to take
Of those steps the nearer we are to the
goal. The man who by patient in
dustry has accomplished something Of
value to the world, will be moro likely
to DO another and better thing than
II his first attempt had been failure.
But the world does not apply its favor
ito proverb to the ploddera Il
means that he who makes .
grand strike shows thereby tina,
he is a lucky man. that he wa.
born under fortunate star. and will
be likely to win wealth and fame.
This idea is atheistic. n thefeis :
| Just and holy God who governs the
world, He can not shavc special favor
ties. He must treat his creatures i'm,
| partially. He will not heap up Hi;
| good gifts upon few. but distribute
them to all. Hence. the inference
should be that whoever is special,